


Poor Instincts

by tackypanda



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Gen, Pre-Relationship, Shippy if you Squint, meet ugly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-19 00:18:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5948869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tackypanda/pseuds/tackypanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Sole Survivor meets Deacon while he's posing as a Diamond City guard. Naturally it ends up being a goddamn ordeal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Poor Instincts

Gemma’s first impression of Diamond City left her beyond pissed. Granted, she’d been angry ever since she emerged from cryo, but it seemed there was no limit to how incensed she could grow. She had spent so long fighting against corruption in authoritative forces pre-war that all it took was a moment for her to sniff out that kind of bullshit in any organization. Government officials were always full of shit, she supposed it wasn’t a surprise that this Mayor McDonough was an idiot who sat on his hands, but she couldn’t help but hope for better from a police force that dressed up like umpires. Nope; if anything, it gave them a better excuse to inflict violence on the innocent.

She had even played up her own distress over Shaun to try to garner sympathy and that had only worked on Piper, a woman with a drive to expose the truth that rivaled only her own. The sensible thing would be to go in the old ball park, play into what she wanted about the article she mentioned, and then get help from her or whoever she recommended. But no, any sensible solution was far from her mind - right now her options played out as ‘storm away angrily’ or ‘drag that Danny Sullivan fucker over the counter by his collar and scare the shit out of him for wasting her time’. To think, she had been crying over a long dead patch of her favorite flowers just a half hour before.

That’s when she noticed the guard lazing about in the corner of the office, smoking a cigarette without a care as if an injustice _hadn’t_ just been committed in front of him; at least Danny had the sense to be apologetic. Honestly, she was mostly angry because she wished she could retreat to a corner somewhere and just _not_  care. She wondered if he had seen just as much shit as she had - it would’ve explained the utter lack of hair. He was probably lonely - hell, all the guards seemed lonely.

At that moment, she got a horrible idea.

She cleared her throat, tapping the butt of her laser rifle on the counter. “Do me one favor, Danny-- tell the mayor I’ll be coming to see him in a few, tell him right now, in person.”

“Uh, he doesn’t really take visitors, ma’am.”

“Of course he doesn’t.” She mustered her fakest smile. “Leave a message with his secretary then, I don’t care.”

“I can’t leave my post--”

“Oh I’m sure the guy back there on ‘break’ won’t mind doing his job for ten minutes.” The bald guy looked over then, a brow raised, and Danny turned his head back and forth between them warily.

“Okay... I’ll tell her. Least I can do, I guess.” He got up and got out of there faster than she expected him to, and she rolled her shoulders back, setting her rifle down on the counter. She stepped inside, putting on a more genuine smile as she approached her, er, _mark_.

“Evening.”

“What’s up?” Huh; now there was an accent that would be right at home in her old anti-war group. “Welcome to the, uh, Great Green Jewel. You’ll totally love it here.”

She pouted, at least tried to, propping her elbow up against the wall. “Not really having a great time so far; weren’t you paying attention?”

“Not really.” He took another drag of his cigarette, and she felt her blood pressure rise. “We get a lot of problem cases coming through here. You learn to tune it out eventually.”

She gaped, not sure if that was a slight or just a fact, and tried to calm down. “Yeah; I suppose that happens, being such a major hub and all.”

“Uh-huh...” He regarded her curiously over the rim of his shades. “Don’t you have, like, important things to do?”

Ah; this was a perfect opening to shift the mood. Although the response that popped into her head made her want to punch herself a little bit. “Yeah. You.”

He shot up, the carefully nonchalant expression slipping right off his face. “...What?”

Fuck, how did people do this? She placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling what was supposed to be flirtatiously, but from the look on his face it must have looked more deranged. “I mean, you’re here all by your lonesome; don’t you want some... uh, warm company?”

He coughed and quickly covered his mouth with a fist - wait, _no,_ he was laughing at her. “You’d be surprised how cuddly and warm Danny is, even when he’s standing all the way over there.”

She squeezed his shoulder, gritting her teeth a bit. “Yeah, well, the actual, literal closeness is a _lot_  better.” He just kept staring at her, and she _knew_  he was laughing, at least internally. She instantly drew away, running her hands over her face. “Yeah, I can’t do this, wow...”

“You were going strong, though. ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try try aga--’”

“Oh _shut_  up, I’m not going to keep embarrassing myself.” She huffed, putting her hands on her hips to try to regain some of toughness. “And don’t flatter yourself, I don’t actually _want_  your bald ass, I just wanted information.”

He finally let out a snort, shaking his head. “Well now you’re just being hurtful and _that’s_  not necessary.” He put a hand to his heart in mock sadness. “What, you didn’t think to just go with the reporter who’s gonna be better help than any of us? You had to stay here and try _this_?”

She raised a brow; hm, he had been paying more attention than he let on. She wasn’t going to say anything about it, however; more pressing matters. “You know how sometimes people don’t think things through? Being human, and all? Yeah.”

“ _Yeah_ ,” he echoed, dragging out the word with the smoke he exhaled. She huffed, hugging her arms to her chest.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, alright?” She threw her arms up, barking out a laugh. “My husband’s gone, my son’s fuck all knows where, everything is gross and dead, people are even bigger assholes.” She rubbed her forehead with the heel of her palm. “I’m tired and lost, I-- I just dunno.”

She hissed out a shaky breath, and the guy stiffened so severely it was like he was going through rigor mortis. “Oh god, uh... hey, you know, it’ll work out.” He reached a hand out, giving her a very light pat on the shoulder, another one a few seconds later, and then just returned his hand back to his side, shaking his head. Oddly enough, she appreciated his attempt at comfort.

“Come on, take pity on me and tell me where I could go for help.” She urged, actually managing a look of genuine pleading.

He sighed, crossing his arms. “Wish I could, but I’ve only been working here a short time. Like I said, Piper would be better help.”

Whatever calm had set in for her shattered. She tried to feel him up, she nearly cried in front of him, and _that_  was what she got in return?  She scoffed, marching back out to grab her rifle. “Well you’re fucking useless, good _bye_.”

She nearly collided right into Danny as he was returning, and he managed to look only somewhat shaken. “Ah, woops, hello. If you’re going to see--”

“Fuck it, fuck your city, and fuck _that_ guy.” She cocked her thumb back towards the office. “Fire him; if you can’t, get a promotion so you can.” She left him sputtering as she went towards the gate.


End file.
